Page 14 of Autumn Wishes and Pumpkin Kisses

“Keefer, don’t you take that tone with me young man.” Her voice is stern. It’s the ‘mom’ voice that Keith and I always dreaded to hear growing up. We knew we we’re in trouble the minute she used it.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Let me know if you’re going to bring me those kids. I’ve got board games and all the ingredients to make homemade pizza and chocolate chip cookies. That should keep them occupied,” she says, her tone now determined.

My mom is clearly wanting to read her book, so I take that statement as my cue to leave. I stand up and kiss the top of her head as I pass by her chair. “I’ll let you know.” I head outside but as I reach my truck, I can’t help but wonder if my mom is right. Could Teaganne and I be getting a chance at a second shot?

TWELVE

Keefer

I pull up to Teaganne’s house. Nerves settle in my stomach. I know it’s from what my mom said earlier. I’ve thought about it the entire drive over here. It’s the last thing I should be worried about, but I can’t seem to shake it. Teaganne is always the girl I wanted, but then after everything went down in California, I wasn’t sure. No matter where I went, what I did or who I dated though Teaganne was always on my mind. I’d find myself wondering what she would do if she were here. The front door opens just as I open my truck door. Silas dashes down the driveway towards me. “Keefer!” I pick him up and carry him back up the driveway to meet Teaganne and Seraphina.

Teaganne has changed her outfit. The dress is gone. Skinny, dark denim jeans hug her long legs making them look even longer. A shimmery taupe tank top catches the sunlight. A black cardigan sits over the tank top along with a pair of black over the knee boots. She’s as stunning as ever and I can’t seem to take my eyes off her. Teaganne looks at me. “Hey, thanks for doing this again.”

“No problem at all. I’m sure Warbee would take you in a heartbeat, but with her being shorthanded at the bakery I wasn’t sure how long it would be before she had free time and I’m sure you’re more comfortable in your vehicle.” I step forward to help her with the booster and car seat while trying to juggle Silas in my arms.

“Silas, please take Seraphina over to the grass. Y’all play over there until I come get you, okay?” Watching her be a mother is so strange sometimes. I always knew she’d be amazing at it, but it’s overwhelming how jealous I can feel over someone else being the father of her children. Silas tells her yes. “You can put him down now,” she tells me with a laugh.

I put Silas down and he grabs Seraphina’s hand, and they go over to the patch of grass. “I’ll help you with these.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Clearly, she’s used to doing this on her own, but I’m not going to let her while I’m around, so I walk to the other side of the Jeep and open the back door and start working on Silas’ booster seat. “So, I called my mom to see if she could babysit because they can get so fussy in the car, but she’s busy with some fundraiser and apparently she’s on the board of directors for Bushels of Fun. I’m sorry.”

Slight disappointment courses through me. I’m not sure why I wanted alone time with Teganne, but for some reason, I did. “It’s fine. I love being around them. They’re great.”

Teaganne laughs. “You say that now, but we’ll see how you feel when we get to Atlanta.”

“The same, but my mom did offer to babysit if you wanted.”

She stops, halfway down the driveway, it’s so abruptly that I nearly plow into her. “She did?” Her voice goes up an octave in shock.

I cock my head to the side and study her for a moment. Her eyes are wide and cheeks flushed. “Yeah, why do you seem so shocked by that?” Teaganne looks off to the side, then down at the ground, sighing heavily. “Teag?”

“I figured she hated me.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, and if I wasn’t standing so close to her, which I just completely became aware of, I wouldn’t have even heard what she said.

A chuckle escapes me because the idea of my mama hating Teaganne is laughable. “No, of course not. I’m not sure my mom even has a bone in her body capable of hating someone, especially you. Why would you think that?”

Teaganne looks away again. “After everything that happened between us in California, I figured your family hated me.”

“Teag, that was eleven years ago. Besides, my mom has always been, still is, and probably will always be, Team Teaganne.” I shrug and step around her, taking the car seat from her arms as I do and head towards my truck.

I start with putting the car seat into the truck when Teaganne comes up behind me. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. Now, the question is do you want to take the kiddos with us or do you want to let them go make homemade pizza and chocolate chip cookies?” I bend down and grab the booster seat and move to the other side of the truck.

“Are you sure she won’t mind?”

I chuckle. “I’m positive. She’s been wanting grandkids forever. Keith just hasn’t blessed her with any yet. She’ll love having them. As long as you’re comfortable with it.” I don’t want Teaganne to feel like she has to leave her kids with my mom. They’re totally fine coming with us so I want this to be her decision and I want her to be comfortable with it.

She nods. “Your mom is the best, so if she really doesn’t mind then that would be great.”

While Teaganne fastens Seraphina into her car seat, I help Silas, who is one of the most independent kids I’ve ever met. He reminds me of Teaganne in that sense. I open the passenger side door and wait for Teaganne to finish up while dialing my mom to let her know we’ll be on our way soon. When Teaganne comes around and notices the door open and waiting for her, she pauses and cocks her head to the side. “It’s really nice to know that no matter how crazy the world can get that you never change. It’s comforting.”

My shoulders shrug and I feel a small smile tug on my lips. “Just doing what I know. You know, Southern gentleman and all that jazz.”

She giggles and shakes her head. Once she’s next to me, about to climb into the truck she tells me, “No, it’s just you, Keefer.” She smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. There’s a sadness lurking in her pools of honey brown. Some part of me wants to take that sadness away from her. She climbs into the truck and I shut the door. As I make my way around the front of my truck, I can feel her eyes on me. I managed to find the Disney radio station on my satellite radio. When I start the engine, it comes through the speakers. I have no clue what song it is, but clearly the kids know. Instantly, they start to sing and dance around to it. “You have the Disney channel programmed?”

I wink. “I do now.” The drive to my parent’s house is entertaining even though Teaganne doesn’t say a single word. Most of the drive she stares out the passenger window and watches as Blue Ridge passes us by. I’m curious what she’s thinking, what memories are floating into her mind, is there anything in particular she’s missing? I used to be able to read her like my most read book but now I feel lost. We pull up to my childhood home and I cut the engine. As we’re getting the kids out, my mom opens the door and waits for us. Silas grips my hand as we head towards the house.

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